NASA helping in search for missing Malaysian plane

By Carol Christian, Houston Chronicle

Published 10:19 am, Thursday, March 13, 2014

A U.S. Navy helicopter takes off from the USS Pinckney to help search for the Malaysian Airlines jetliner.
Photo: Uncredited, HOPD

A U.S. Navy helicopter takes off from the USS Pinckney to help...

In this photo released by The Royal Malaysian Navy, a Royal Malaysian Navy Fennec helicopter prepares to depart to aid in the search and rescue efforts for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane over the Straits of Malacca, Malaysia, Thursday, March 13, 2014. Planes sent Thursday to check the spot where Chinese satellite images showed possible debris from the missing Malaysian jetliner found nothing, Malaysia's civil aviation chief said, deflating the latest lead in the six-day hunt. The hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 has been punctuated by false leads since it disappeared with 239 people aboard about an hour after leaving Kuala Lumpur for Beijing early Saturday. (AP Photo/The Royal Malaysian Navy)
Photo: Associated Press

In this photo released by The Royal Malaysian Navy, a Royal...

In this photo released by The Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Navy's missile corvette KD Laksamana Muhammad Amin, front, and Royal Malaysian Navy's offshore patrol vessel KD Selangor are seen during a search and rescue operation for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane over the Straits of Malacca, Malaysia, Thursday, March 13, 2014. Planes sent Thursday to check the spot where Chinese satellite images showed possible debris from the missing Malaysian jetliner found nothing, Malaysia's civil aviation chief said, deflating the latest lead in the six-day hunt. The hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 has been punctuated by false leads since it disappeared with 239 people aboard about an hour after leaving Kuala Lumpur for Beijing early Saturday. (AP Photo/The Royal Malaysian Navy)
Photo: Associated Press

In this photo released by The Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian...

A woman runs her fingers along messages and well wishes displayed for passengers and others involved with the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner MH370 on the walls of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Thursday, March 13, 2014, in Sepang, Malaysia. Planes sent Thursday to check the spot where Chinese satellite images showed possible debris from the missing Malaysian jetliner found nothing, Malaysia's civil aviation chief said, deflating the latest lead in the six-day hunt. The hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 has been punctuated by false leads since it disappeared with 239 people aboard about an hour after leaving Kuala Lumpur for Beijing early Saturday. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
Photo: Wong Maye-E, Associated Press

A woman runs her fingers along messages and well wishes displayed...

An Indonesian Air Force officer draws a flight pattern flown earlier in a search operation for the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, during a post-mission briefing at Suwondo air base in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Thursday, March 13, 2014. The hunt for the missing jetliner has been punctuated by false leads since it disappeared with 239 people aboard about an hour after leaving Kuala Lumpur for Beijing early Saturday. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Photo: Binsar Bakkara, Associated Press

An Indonesian Air Force officer draws a flight pattern flown...

FILE - In this Saturday, March 22, 2014, file photo, flight officer Rayan Gharazeddine on board a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion, scans for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in southern Indian Ocean, Australia. Airlines and regulators have spent the past year since the disappearance of Flight MH370 debating how much flight tracking is necessary, balancing the economic costs against reassuring passengers another plane won’t disappear. Now a plan is moving forward that would require airlines, by the end of 2016, to know their jets’ positions every 15 minutes.
Photo: Rob Griffith, AP

A woman ties a message card for passengers onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 at a shopping mall in Petaling Jaya, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, April 10, 2014. With hopes high that search crews are zeroing in on the missing Malaysian jetliner's crash site, ships and planes hunting for the aircraft intensified their efforts Thursday after equipment picked up sounds consistent with a plane's black box in the deep waters of the Indian Ocean.
Photo: AP

A woman ties a message card for passengers onboard the missing...

A couple is silhouetted as they watch a Malaysia Airlines plane on the tarmac from the viewing gallery at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Thursday, April 10, 2014. With hopes high that search crews are zeroing in on the missing Malaysian jetliner's crash site, ships and planes hunting for the aircraft intensified their search efforts on Thursday after equipment picked up sounds consistent with a plane's black box in the deep waters of the Indian Ocean.
Photo: Joshua Paul, AP

A couple is silhouetted as they watch a Malaysia Airlines plane on...

Spectators take photos of a Chinese Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft as it comes in for a landing at Perth International Airport after returning from the ongoing search operations for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in Perth, Australia, Thursday, April 10, 2014. With hopes high that search crews are zeroing in on the missing Malaysian jetliner's crash site, ships and planes hunting for the aircraft intensified their efforts Thursday after equipment picked up sounds consistent with a plane's black box in the deep waters of the Indian Ocean.
Photo: Rob Griffith, AP

Spectators take photos of a Chinese Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft as it...

A submarine built by Bluefin Robotics is lowered into the water by systems engineer Cheryl Mierzwa in Quincy, Mass., Wednesday, April 9, 2014. Bluefin Robotics shipped a version of their submarine to help locate the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, by using its side-scan sonar.
Photo: Scott Eisen, AP

A submarine built by Bluefin Robotics is lowered into the water by...

This image provided by the Joint Agency Coordination Centre on Wednesday, April 9, 2014, shows a map indicating the locations of signals detected by vessels looking for signs of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in the southern Indian Ocean. An Australian official overseeing the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane said underwater sounds picked up by equipment on an Australian navy ship are consistent with transmissions from black box recorders on a plane. EDITORIAL USE ONLY
Photo: Joint Agency Coordination Centre, AP

This image provided by the Joint Agency Coordination Centre on...

In this April 9, 2014 photo provided by the Australian Defense Force, a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion flies past Australian Defense vessel Ocean Shield on a mission to drop sonar buoys to assist in the acoustic search of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in the southern Indian Ocean. The ship searching for the missing Malaysian jet has detected two more underwater signals that may be emanating from the aircraft's black boxes, and the Australian official in charge of the search expressed hope Wednesday that the plane's wreckage will soon be found. EDITORIAL USE ONLY
Photo: LSIS Bradley Darvill, AP

In this April 9, 2014 photo provided by the Australian Defense...

In this April 7, 2014 photo provided by the Australian Defense Force a fast response craft manned by members from the Australian Defense's ship Ocean Shield is deployed to scan the water for debris of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in the southern Indian Ocean. Up to 14 planes and as many ships were focusing on a single search area covering 77, 580 square kilometers (29,954 square miles) of ocean, 2,270 kilometers (1,400 miles) northwest of the Australian west coast city of Perth, Australia. EDITORIAL USE ONLY
Photo: LSIS Bradley Darvill, AP

In this April 7, 2014 photo provided by the Australian Defense...

Feng Zhishang, second from right, cries as family members celebrate the birthday for his son Feng Dong, a passenger on board the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 at a hotel where relatives gather to wait for news of the missing plane in Beijing, China, Tuesday, April 8, 2014. Search crews have failed to relocate faint sounds heard deep in the Indian Ocean, possibly from the missing Malaysian jetliner's black boxes whose batteries are at the end of their life.
Photo: Ng Han Guan, AP

Feng Zhishang, second from right, cries as family members celebrate...

In this April 7, 2014 photo provided by the Australian Defense Force a fast response craft manned by members ofthe Australian Defense's ship Ocean Shield is deployed to scan the water for debris of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in the southern Indian Ocean. Up to 14 planes and as many ships were focusing on a single search area covering 77, 580 square kilometers (29,954 square miles) of ocean, 2,270 kilometers (1,400 miles) northwest of the Australian west coast city of Perth, Australia. EDITORIAL USE ONLY
Photo: LSIS Bradley Darvill, AP

In this April 7, 2014 photo provided by the Australian Defense...

In this April 7, 2014 photo provided by the Australian Defense Force, a fast response craft manned by members of the Australian Defense's ship Ocean Shield is deployed to scan the water for debris of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in the southern Indian Ocean. Up to 14 planes and as many ships were focusing on a single search area covering 77, 580 square kilometers (29,954 square miles) of ocean, 2,270 kilometers (1,400 miles) northwest of the Australian west coast city of Perth, Australia. EDITORIAL USE ONLY
Photo: LSIS Bradley Darvill, AP

In this April 7, 2014 photo provided by the Australian Defense...

Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency officials scan the horizon for signs of the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 on Wednesday, March 12, 2014, in the Strait of Malacca off Sumatra, Indonesia. Malaysia asked India to join the expanding search for the missing Boeing 777 near the Andaman Sea, far to the northwest of its last reported position and a further sign Wednesday that authorities have no idea where the plane might be more than four days after it vanished.
Photo: Heri Juanda, AP

Philip Wood, an IBM executive who had been working in Beijing over the past two years, was aboard the Malaysia Airlines flight that went missing over the South China Sea.
Photo: HONS

Philip Wood, an IBM executive who had been working in Beijing over...

Indian sand artist Sudersan Pattnaik gives final touches on a sand sculpture with a message of prayers for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 - which vanished from radar early on March 8 somewhere at sea between Malaysia and Vietnam - at Puri beach, some 65 kilometers away from Bhubaneswar, on March 9, 2014. Malaysia on March 9 said a missing airliner carrying 239 people may have inexplicably turned back, as authorities launched a terror probe into the plane's sudden disappearance, investigating suspect passengers who boarded with stolen passports.
Photo: Asit Kumar, AFP/Getty Images

Indian sand artist Sudersan Pattnaik gives final touches on a sand...

This picture taken from aboard a flying Soviet-made AN-26 used as a search aircraft by Vietnamese Air Force to look for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, shows an officer (R) and a reporter looking out the window during search operations over the southern seas off Vietnam on March 9, 2014. Malaysia on March 9 launched a terror probe into the disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet carrying 239 people the day before, investigating suspect passengers who boarded with stolen passports, as relatives begged for news of their loved ones. The United States sent the FBI to investigate after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished from radar early on March 8 somewhere at sea between Malaysia and Vietnam, but stressed there was no evidence of terrorism yet.
Photo: Hoang Dinh Nam, AFP/Getty Images

This picture taken from aboard a flying Soviet-made AN-26 used as a...

This aerial picture taken from aboard a flying Soviet-made AN-26 used as a search aircraft by Vietnamese Air Force to look for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, shows a boat (R) sailing past oil spills (L) on the surface of the water off the southern seas of Vietnam on March 9, 2014. Malaysia on March 9 launched a terror probe into the disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet carrying 239 people the day before, investigating suspect passengers who boarded with stolen passports, as relatives begged for news of their loved ones. The United States sent the FBI to investigate after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished from radar early on March 8 somewhere at sea between Malaysia and Vietnam, but stressed there was no evidence of terrorism yet.
Photo: Hoang Dinh Nam, AFP/Getty Images

This aerial picture taken from aboard a flying Soviet-made AN-26...

A U.S. Navy helicopter lands aboard Destroyer USS Pinckney during a crew swap before returning to a search and rescue mission for the missing Malaysian airlines flight MH370 in the Gulf of Thailand, Sunday, March 9, 2014. The plane, which was carrying 239 people, lost contact with ground controllers somewhere between Malaysia and Vietnam after leaving Kuala Lumpur early Saturday morning for Beijing.
Photo: Chris D. Boardman, Associated Press

This aerial picture taken from aboard a flying Soviet-made AN-26 used as a search aircraft by Vietnamese Air Force to look for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, shows boats searching the surface of the waters off the southern seas of Vietnam on March 9, 2014. Malaysia on March 9 launched a terror probe into the disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet carrying 239 people the day before, investigating suspect passengers who boarded with stolen passports, as relatives begged for news of their loved ones. The United States sent the FBI to investigate after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished from radar early on March 8 somewhere at sea between Malaysia and Vietnam, but stressed there was no evidence of terrorism yet.
Photo: Hoang Dinh Nam, AFP/Getty Images

A crew member checks the map March 11, 2014, while searching aboard...

RAAF P3 Orion captain Flt Lt Benn Carroll speaks to reporters after returning from a search mission for debris from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 at RAAF Base Pearce on April 8, 2014 in Perth, Australia. ACM Angus Houston advised the towed pinger by ADV Ocean Shield is still trying to re-locate the signals previously detected, which were believed to be consistent with aircraft black boxes. The airliner disappeared on March 8 with 239 passengers and crew on board and is suspected to have crashed into the southern Indian Ocean.
Photo: Paul Kane, Getty

A woman (C) lights a candle as Chinese relatives of passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 take part in a prayer service at the Metro Park Hotel in Beijing on April 8, 2014. The hunt for physical evidence that the Malaysia Airlines jet crashed in the Indian Ocean more than three weeks ago has turned up nothing, despite a massive operation involving seven countries and repeated sightings of suspected debris.
Photo: AFP, Getty

A woman (C) lights a candle as Chinese relatives of passengers on...

Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston (ret'd) holds a map outlining the current search areas of naval ships Ocean Shield and Haixun 01 during a press conference for the continuing search of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 at Dumas House on April 7, 2014 in Perth, Australia. Angus Houston confirmed today that the Australian naval vessel Ocean Shield has twice detected signals in the past 24 hours consitent with aircraft black boxes. The airliner disappeared on March 8 with 239 passengers and crew on board and is suspected to have crashed into the southern Indian Ocean.
Photo: Paul Kane, Getty

Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston (ret'd) holds a map outlining the...

Seen from the Royal New Zealand Airforce (RNZAF) P-3K2-Orion aircraft, a RHIB (rigid hull inflatable boat) is deployed from the Australian ship HMAS Perth after it was guided into position by the RNZAF aircraft to recover a red object during the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in flight over the Indian Ocean on April 13, 2014 off the coast of Perth, Australia. Search and rescue officials in Australia are confident they know the approximate position of the black box recorders from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Friday. At the same time, however, the head of the agency coordinating the search said that the latest "ping" signal, which was captured by a listening device buoy on Thursday, was not related to the plane.
Photo: Pool, Getty

Seen from the Royal New Zealand Airforce (RNZAF) P-3K2-Orion...

A girl stands next to a sign board made and written by the public at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Monday, March 10, 2014. Vietnamese aircraft spotted what they suspected was one of the doors of the missing Boeing 777 on Sunday, while questions emerged about how two passengers managed to board the ill-fated aircraft using stolen passports. (AP Photo/Daniel Chan)
Photo: Daniel Chan, Associated Press

Over a dozen microphones are propped on a table as Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar answers questions from members of the media, raising their hands waiting their turn as seen in the shadows cast on stage during a press conference, Tuesday, March 11, 2014 in Sepang, Malaysia. One of the two men traveling on a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner with a stolen passport was a 19-year-old Iranian man believed to be trying to migrate to Germany, and had no terror links, police said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
Photo: Wong Maye-E, Associated Press

Over a dozen microphones are propped on a table as Malaysian police...

Volunteers from Taiwan's Buddhist association offer prayers for the Chinese passengers aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, at a hotel in Beijing, China Tuesday, April 1, 2014. Although it has been slow, difficult and frustrating so far, the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet is nowhere near the point of being scaled back, Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott said. The three-week hunt for Flight 370 has turned up no sign of the Boeing 777, which vanished March 8 with 239 people bound for Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Photo: Andy Wong, Associated Press

Malaysia's Defense Minister and acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, second right, speaks druing a press conference on the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, April 7, 2014. Hishammuddin says he is "cautiously hopeful" that there will be positive developments in the next few days, "if not hours," in the search for the missing airliner. They are, from left, Malaysia Airlines Group CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Hamzah Zainudin, Hishammuddin and Director general of the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation Azharuddin Abdul Rahman. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Photo: Vincent Thian, Associated Press

Malaysia's Defense Minister and acting Transport Minister...

A Malaysian couple hold candles during a candlelight vigil for passengers onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, April 7, 2014. An Australian ship detected two distinct, long-lasting sounds underwater that are consistent with the pings from aircraft black boxes in a major break in the month long hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet, the search coordinator said Monday. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Photo: Vincent Thian, Associated Press

A Malaysian couple hold candles during a candlelight vigil for...

In this March 31, 2014 file photo, a shadow of a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3 Orion aircraft is seen on low cloud cover while it searches for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean. From the disappearances of aviator Amelia Earhart to labor union leader Jimmy Hoffa, there’s just something about a good mystery that Americans find too tantalizing to resist. Perhaps that's why the saga of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has continued to rivet the country long after people elsewhere have moved on. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith, File)
Photo: Rob Griffith, Associated Press

In this March 31, 2014 file photo, a shadow of a Royal New Zealand...

A boy plays with an aeroplane shaped foil balloon during a candlelight vigil for passengers aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, April 6, 2014. Searchers hunting for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet were racing to a patch of the southern Indian Ocean on Sunday to determine whether a few brief sounds picked up by underwater equipment came from the plane's black boxes, whose battery-operated beacons are on the verge of dying out. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin)
Photo: Lai Seng Sin, Associated Press

A boy plays with an aeroplane shaped foil balloon during a...

A ground controller guides a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion to rest after sunset upon its return from a search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 over the Indian Ocean, at the Royal Australian Air Force base Pearce in Perth, Monday, March 24, 2014. Satellite images released by Australia and China had earlier identified possible debris in an area that may be linked to the disappearance of the flight on March 8 with 239 people aboard. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)
Photo: Jason Reed, Associated Press

A ground controller guides a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion...

Malaysia's acting minister for transport Hishamuddin Hussein answers queries from the media during a press conference regarding missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner MH370, Sunday, March 16, 2014 in Sepang, Malaysia. Malaysian authorities Sunday were investigating the pilots of the missing jetliner after it was established that whoever flew off with the Boeing 777 had intimate knowledge of the cockpit and knew how to avoid detection when navigating around Asia. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
Photo: Wong Maye-E, Associated Press

Malaysia's acting minister for transport Hishamuddin Hussein...

In this March 10, 2014 file photo, an Indonesian Navy crew member scans the water bordering Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand during a search operation for the missing Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 near the Malacca straits. Solving the mystery of the missing Malaysian plane is proving to be as easy as cracking a homicide without a body, witness or motive. All while billions of people are waiting for the kind of quick and clear resolution that we’ve come to expect in the information age _ and speculating in sometimes wild ways when that resolution doesn’t come. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara, File)
Photo: Binsar Bakkara, Associated Press

In this March 10, 2014 file photo, an Indonesian Navy crew member...

In this image taken onboard a Royal New Zealand P-3 Orion, a piece of unknown debris floats just under the water while the plane was searching for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean, Monday, March 31, 2014. The Orion crew could not identify the object and has sent images of it for analysis to the Rescue Coordination Center and Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).(AP Photo/Rob Griffith, Pool)
Photo: Rob Griffith, Associated Press

In this image taken onboard a Royal New Zealand P-3 Orion, a piece...

Malaysia's acting Transport Minister Hishamuddin Hussein shows maps of southern corridor and northern corridor of the search and rescue operation during a press conference at a hotel near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, in Sepang, Malaysia, Monday, March 17, 2014. Twenty-six countries are involved in the massive international search for the Malaysia Airlines jetliner that disappeared on March 8 with 239 people aboard. They include not just military assets on land, at sea and in the air, but also investigators and the specific support and assistance requested by Malaysia, such as radar and satellite information. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Photo: Vincent Thian, Associated Press

Ships are seen from a flying Soviet-made AN-26 of the Vietnam Air Force during a search operation for the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 over the South China Sea Monday, March 10, 2014. Dozens of ships and aircraft have failed to find any piece of the missing Boeing 777 jet that vanished more than two days ago above waters south of Vietnam as investigators pursued "every angle" to explain its disappearance, including hijacking, Malaysia's civil aviation chief said Monday. (AP Photo/Na Son Nguyen)
Photo: Na Son Nguyen, Associated Press

Ships are seen from a flying Soviet-made AN-26 of the Vietnam Air...

A woman holds a heart shaped paper with messages for passengers aboard a missing Malaysia Airlines plane, as she poses for a photo during an event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, March 17, 2014. Authorities now believe someone on board the Boeing 777 shut down part of the aircraft's messaging system about the same time the plane with 239 people on board disappeared from civilian radar. But an Inmarsat satellite was able to automatically connect with a portion of the messaging system that remained in operation, similar to a phone call that just rings because no one is on the other end to pick it up and provide information. No location information was exchanged, but the satellite continued to identify the plane once an hour for four to five hours after it disappeared from radar screens. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin)
Photo: Lai Seng Sin, Associated Press

A woman holds a heart shaped paper with messages for passengers...

This graphic released by the Malaysian Remote Sensing Agency on Wednesday, March 26, 2014, shows the approximate position of objects seen floating in the southern Indian Ocean in the search zone for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, Wednesday that a satellite has captured images of 122 objects close to where three other satellites previously detected objects. (AP Photo/Malaysian Remote Sensing Agency)
Photo: Uncredited, Associated Press

This graphic released by the Malaysian Remote Sensing Agency on...

A man holds candles during a candlelight vigil for passengers onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, April 7, 2014. An Australian ship detected two distinct, long-lasting sounds underwater that are consistent with the pings from aircraft black boxes in a major break in the month long hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet, the search coordinator said Monday. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Photo: Vincent Thian, Associated Press

A man holds candles during a candlelight vigil for passengers...

A ground crewman stands in front of a South Korean P3 Orion after it returned from the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in Perth, Australia, Sunday, March 30, 2014. Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Sunday he was hopeful clues will emerge soon to help find Flight 370 even though searchers again failed to find jet debris, as relatives of Chinese passengers on the plane protested in Malaysia to demand the government apologize over its handling of the search. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)
Photo: Rob Griffith, Associated Press

A ground crewman stands in front of a South Korean P3 Orion after...

Yenny, the sister of Sugianto Lo who was onboard the Malaysia Airlines plane MH370, weeps on the couch as she watches a news update on the search of the wreckage of the jetliner at their family residence in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, March 25, 2014. After 17 days of desperation and doubt over the missing Malaysia Airlines jet, the country's officials said an analysis of satellite data points to a "heartbreaking" conclusion: Flight 370 met its end in the southern reaches of the Indian Ocean, and none of those aboard survived. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Photo: Binsar Bakkara, Associated Press

Yenny, the sister of Sugianto Lo who was onboard the Malaysia...

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott speaks with Japan's Self Defense Force Commander Hidetsugu Iwamasa during his visit to RAAF Base Pearce where various forces are currently based as they search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, in Bullsbrook near Perth, Australia, Monday, March 31, 2014. Abbott said the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is "an extraordinarily difficult exercise" but that it will go on as long as possible. Abbott said Monday that although no debris has been found in the southern Indian Ocean that can be linked to the plane missing for more than three weeks, the searchers are "well, well short" of any point where they would scale the hunt back. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)
Photo: Jason Reed, Associated Press

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott speaks with Japan's Self...

A woman, center, cries as she and others attend a candlelight vigil for their loved ones with other relatives of Chinese passengers onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 at a hotel in Beijing, China, Tuesday, April 8, 2014. An Australian ship detected two distinct, long-lasting sounds underwater that are consistent with the pings from aircraft black boxes in a major break in the month long hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet, the search coordinator said Monday, April 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Photo: Andy Wong, Associated Press

A woman, center, cries as she and others attend a candlelight vigil...

A relative of one of the Chinese passengers aboard the Malaysia Airlines, MH370 collapses in grief after being told of the latest news in Beijing, China, Monday, March 24, 2014. It was the grim news that families of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight had dreaded for weeks, and on Monday they heard it from Malaysia’s prime minister: new analysis of satellite data indicates the missing plane crashed into a remote corner of the Indian Ocean. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Photo: Ng Han Guan, Associated Press

A relative of one of the Chinese passengers aboard the Malaysia...

A relative of a passenger onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 (2nd Right) cries at Beijing International Airport March 8, 2014 in Beijing, China. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and carrying 239 onboard was reported missing after the crew failed to check in as scheduled while flying over the sea between Malaysia and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, according to published reports.
Photo: Feng Li, Getty

A relative of a passenger onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370...

Relatives of Chinese passengers from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, console each other outside the Malaysia Airlines office in Subang on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur on February 12, 2015. Chinese relatives of passengers on missing flight MH370 protested outside the Malaysian Airlines office demanding Malaysia withdraw the statement that all the passengers are dead. About 15 people gathered outside the gates wearing white caps and red t-shirts with words: "Pray for MH370." AFP PHOTO / MANAN VATSYAYANA
Photo: MANAN VATSYAYANA, Getty

Relatives of Chinese passengers from the missing Malaysia Airlines...

Crew members look out the windows from a Malaysian Air Force CN235 aircraft during a search and rescue (SAR) operation to find the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 plane over the Strait of Malacca on March 14, 2014. Malaysia confirmed on March 14 that the search for a missing Malaysia Airlines plane had been expanded into the Indian Ocean, but declined to comment on US reports that the jet had flown for hours after going missing.
Photo: AFP, Getty

Crew members look out the windows from a Malaysian Air Force CN235...

A man wearing a mask, who claimed to be a relative of a passenger from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, speaks to the media outside the lounge in Beijing on March 14, 2014. Malaysia confirmed on March 14 that the search for a missing Malaysia Airlines plane had been expanded into the Indian Ocean, but declined to comment on US reports that the jet had flown for hours after going missing.
Photo: WANG ZHAO, Getty

A man wearing a mask, who claimed to be a relative of a passenger...

Sgt. Zulhelmi Hassan of the Malaysian Air Forces searches the water for signs of debris from the Malaysian airliner during a search and rescue mission flight on March 13, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A Chinese agency has released a satellite image taken on March 9 of large floating debris in the waters between Kuala Lumpur and South Vietnam, reported to be a "suspected crash area." Officials expanded the search area for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 yesterday, beyond the intended flight path to include the west of Malaysia at the Straits of Malacca as new information surfaces about the time Subang air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft. The flight carrying 239 passengers from Kuala Lumpur to Thailand was reported missing on the morning of March 8 after the crew failed to check in as scheduled.
Photo: Rahman Roslan, Getty

Sgt. Zulhelmi Hassan of the Malaysian Air Forces searches the...

A relative of a passenger onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 answers media questions at Lido Hotel on March 10, 2014 in Beijing, China. Possible airliner debris has been spotted in the sea off Vietnam as investigative teams search for the whereabouts of Malaysia Airlines flight MG370 and the 293 passengers aboard travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The airliner was reported missing on the morning of March 8 after the crew failed to check in as scheduled. Relatives of the missing passengers have been advised to prepare for the worst as authorities focus on two passengers on board travelling with stolen passports.
Photo: Lintao Zhang, Getty

A relative of a passenger onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370...

This aerial picture taken from aboard a flying Soviet-made AN-26 used as a search aircraft by Vietnamese Air Force to look for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, shows a boat (R) sailing past oil spills (L) on the surface of the water off the southern seas of Vietnam on March 9, 2014. Malaysia on March 9 launched a terror probe into the disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet carrying 239 people the day before, investigating suspect passengers who boarded with stolen passports, as relatives begged for news of their loved ones. The United States sent the FBI to investigate after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished from radar early on March 8 somewhere at sea between Malaysia and Vietnam, but stressed there was no evidence of terrorism yet.
Photo: HOANG DINH NAM, Getty

A relative of a passenger onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cries out at a local hotel where families are gathered on March 9, 2014 in Beijing, China. Malaysia Airline Flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and carrying 239 onboard was reported missing after the crew failed to check in as scheduled while flying over the sea between Malaysia and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, according to published reports.
Photo: Feng Li, Getty

A relative of a passenger onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370...

A ground controller guides a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion on the tarmac upon its return from a search for Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 over the Indian Ocean, at RAAF Base Pearce north of Perth, March 24, 2014 in Bullsbrook, Australia. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told Parliament on Monday night that a Royal Australian Air Force P-3 Orion aircraft had located two new objects floating in the southern Indian Ocean on Monday.
Photo: Pool, Getty

A ground controller guides a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion...

Acting Australian Prime Minister Warren Truss addresses local and international media about the search for possible Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 debris off the coast of Western Australia at RAAF Base Pearce on March 22, 2014 in Perth, Australia. The search to identify whether two large objects spotted via satellite in the Indian Ocean are related to missing flight MH370 continues. The airliner went missing nearly two weeks ago carrying 239 passengers and crew on route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
Photo: Paul Kane, Getty

Acting Australian Prime Minister Warren Truss addresses local and...

Flight Leiutenant Neville (Smokey) Dawson on board a Royal Australian Airforce AP-3C Orion from Pearce Airforce Base during a search mission for possible MH370 debris on March 21, 2014 in Perth, Australia. Australian authorities yesterday received satellite imagery that shows two large objects in the Indian Ocean that may be debris from missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. The airliner went missing nearly two weeks ago carrying 239 passengers and crew on route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
Photo: Pool, Getty

Flight Leiutenant Neville (Smokey) Dawson on board a Royal...

An instructor from the Tianjiao Special Guard/Security Consultant bodyguard training camp shows skills during a special course on flight safety inside a scale model of a passenger jet at a flight attendant training centre on March 18, 2014 in Beijing, China. Inspired by the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the company wanted to emphasize the importance of aviation safety by teaching their trainees emergency evacuation procedures and close-quarter combat skills to handle situations such as natural disasters and plane hijacks.
Photo: ChinaFotoPress, Getty

An instructor from the Tianjiao Special Guard/Security Consultant...

A man recites the Koran after a special prayers held for the missing Malaysian airliner MH370, March 18, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 disappeared ten days ago carrying 227 passengers and 12-crew on route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. All passengers and crew are currently under investigation and 22 countries are involved in extensive search for the airliner.
Photo: Rahman Roslan, Getty

A man recites the Koran after a special prayers held for the...

Chinese relatives of the missing passengers who were travelling onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 watch a television displaying a Malaysian press conference at Lido Hotel on March 17, 2014 in Beijing, China. The search area for Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 has increased again to include both land and water from Kazakhstan to the southern Indian Ocean following reports the airliner flew for seven hours after last contact. The missing aircraft disappeared one week ago carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew on route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. All passengers and crew are currently under investigation and 22 countries are involved in the search.
Photo: Feng Li, Getty

Chinese relatives of the missing passengers who were travelling...

International media await the arrival of a RAAF C17 Globemaster aircraft carrying a Navy Seahawk helicopter at the RAAF base in Bullsbrook on March 28, 2014 in Perth, Australia. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) announced today the search area for missing flight MH370 has shifted closer to the Western Australian Coast after receiving radar analysis suggesting the airliner did not travel as far south as originally thought. The Malaysian airliner disappeared on March 8 with 239 passengers and crew on board and is suspected to have crashed into the southern Indian Ocean.
Photo: Will Russell, Getty

International media await the arrival of a RAAF C17 Globemaster...

RAAF Flight Lieutenant Russell Adams looks out from the cockpit of an AP-3C Orion whilst on a search mission in the Southern Indian Ocean on March 26, 2014 in Perth, Australia. The search for flight MH370 resumes today after rough winds and high swells prevented crews from searching for debris yesterday. Six countries have joined the search, now considered to be a recovery effort, after authorities have announced that the airliner crashed in the Southern Indian Ocean and that there are no survivors.
Photo: Paul Kane, Getty

RAAF Flight Lieutenant Russell Adams looks out from the cockpit of...

Chinese relatives of flight MH370 sit on a bus waiting to go to Malaysia embassy in protest on March 25, 2014 in Beijing, China. Hundreds of protesters, including many relatives of missing flight MH370 passengers, marched on the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing demanding answers from Malaysian authorities about the fate of the flight. The Prime Minister of Malaysia announced yesterday that new data showed the flight had crashed into the Southern Indian Ocean.
Photo: Lintao Zhang, Getty

Chinese relatives of flight MH370 sit on a bus waiting to go to...

A family member of a passenger from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 reacts at Lido Hotel on March 24, 2014 in Beijing, China. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak spoke at a press conference today to announce that fresh analysis of available satellite data has concluded that missing flight MH370's final position was in the southern Indian Ocean. French authorities reported a satellite sighting of objects in an area of the southern Indian Ocean where China and Australia have also reported similar sightings of potential debris from the flight that went missing on March 8.
Photo: ChinaFotoPress, Getty

A family member of a passenger from the missing Malaysia Airlines...

Grieving relatives of passengers on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 leave a hotel hall at after being told the news that the plane plunged into Indian Ocean in Beijing on March 24, 2014. The missing Malaysia Airlines jet came down in the Indian Ocean, Prime Minister Najib Razak said March 24, as the airline reportedly told relatives it had been lost and that none on board survived.
Photo: GOH CHAI HIN, Getty

Grieving relatives of passengers on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370...

A family member of a passenger from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 reacts at Lido Hotel on March 24, 2014 in Beijing, China. Malaysian Prime Minister announced that Flight MH370 crashed Into Southern Indian Ocean, citing analysis of satellite data.
Photo: Lintao Zhang, Getty

A family member of a passenger from the missing Malaysia Airlines...

Prime Minister of Malaysia (C), Najib Razak leaves after an ad hoc press conference on March 24, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Prime Minister Najib Razak spoke at the press conference to announce that fresh analysis of available satellite data has concluded that missing flight MH370's final position was in the southern Indian Ocean. French authorities reported a satellite sighting of objects in an area of the southern Indian Ocean where China and Australia have also reported similar sightings of potential debris from the flight that went missing on March 8.
Photo: Rahman Roslan, Getty

Prime Minister of Malaysia (C), Najib Razak leaves after an ad hoc...

US Navy Capt. Mark Matthews holds an Acoustic Pinger with a Towed Pinger Locater in front of ADV Ocean Shield at HMAS Stirling, Garden Island and speaks to media on March 30, 2014 in Perth, Australia. The Australian Defence vessle, Ocean Shield, will depart for the missing flight MH370 search area from Perth in the coming days, equipped with special US Navy equipment designed to locate an aircrafts 'pinger' and black box. Several objects have been sighted fin the Indian Ocean over the past few days, but none confirmed to be related to the missing airliner. The Malaysian airlines flight disappeared on March 8 with 239 passengers and crew on board and is suspected to have crashed into the southern Indian Ocean.
Photo: Matt Jelonek, Getty

US Navy Capt. Mark Matthews holds an Acoustic Pinger with a Towed...

Royal Australian Airforce Flight Lieutenant Russell Adams speaks to media at Pearce Airbase on March 29, 2014 in Perth, Australia. Five search aircraft yesterday spotted possible debris in the new search area for flight MH370 located 1850 kilometres west of Perth. The Malaysian airliner disappeared on March 8 with 239 passengers and crew on board and is suspected to have crashed into the southern Indian Ocean.
Photo: Matt Jelonek, Getty

NASA is helping in the search for the missing Malaysian Airlines plane, along with thousands of volunteers around the world.

According to space.com, NASA is using satellite data gathered earlier as well as images from the remote-controlled ISERV camera system on the International Space Station.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went down March 7 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing somewhere over the Gulf of Thailand. Effort to find its wreckage have been unsuccessful.

NASA's ISERV camera system was launched in July 2012 to observe "specific areas of the globe for disaster analysis and environmental studies," the space agency said.

Images from these instruments could be used to identify objects of about 98 feet (30 meters) or larger, a NASA spokesman told space.com.

The space agency will also send data to the U.S. Geological Survey's Earth Resources Observations and Science Hazard Data Distribution System, under the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, according to the Huffington Post.

Online volunteers are also helping with the hunt through Digital Globe. On March 10, Digital Globe invited people to visit its tomnod platform to help sift through satellite imagery for clues to the missing plane's location.